


And yet for all our fine intent

by Blue_moon_girl14



Series: traveling has its perks [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe - High School, Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, Oblivious gay boys and nerds, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Possibly Pre-Slash, Temporarily Unrequited Love, even I don't know where that came from it just materialized, mention of China/Liechtenstein, temporarily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-31 23:56:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6492862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_moon_girl14/pseuds/Blue_moon_girl14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kiku Honda has always had a finely honed sensor for the emotional vacillations and mental perturbations of one Alfred F. Jones. Today his sensor alerted Kiku to the terrifying possibility that he might start to lose him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And yet for all our fine intent

**Author's Note:**

> "...And yet for all our fine intent  
> a single touch ignites the night and tries resolve past all resisting. What we meant before we mean again; fidelities  
> have yet been known to shift and come undone and all good reasons fail us, one by one."
> 
> \- "Love Recidivus" by Lisa Barnett
> 
> This poem made me feel so many things it's so awesome. This was also written in light of my possible trip to the UK and thus all the feels are real. I also like writing about traveling.

Kiku knew that Alfred had been too excited about this paid trip abroad, to the point that the Asian asked him in Japanese if he wanted an antihistamine, partly to combat whatever allergy was affecting him this way, and partly so that Alfred could sleep. Alfred had not slept in 12 hours.

"I'll sleep on the plane." He waved off Kiku's insistent inquiries, all the while laughing in a Uniqlo Superman t-shirt and flower printed jeans like a carefree hipster while drinking from the ninth freshly brewed Starbucks coffee since entering the airport. The plane ride to England would be long and arduous, he mused miserably. Kiku never liked flying, though the necessary action was made tolerable by the blonde's presence.

They were best friends since elementary, when Kiku Honda had first been moved here by his parents from Tokyo to New York and Alfred F. Jones happened to be his alphabetical seat mate for two 1st Grade semesters. By that time, Alfred had been hooked on playing nonstop Pokemon Emerald, and Kiku had voraciously read To Kill A Mockingbird for the fifth time. But after Mr. and Mrs. Jones' car crash left Alfred orphaned at 13, the Honda family had taken him in, with all the adoption papers and legal requirements.

Now that they were incoming high school seniors, Kiku thought to himself as they were waiting at the dock where their airplane was to arrive, things seemed largely unchanged. The two of them comprised part of the top ten of their batch, and thus were entitled to different programs and scholarships abroad. So it was their luck that they were able to nab an all expenses-paid trip to the UK for the summer. Alfred had not stopped giggling about it since middle of the school year.

Kiku placed his backpack on his lap as he sat down on on of the many continuous lounge chairs near the airport dock while on his right Alfred was reading a book by Hemingway. A Moveable Feast. Alfred really liked Hemingway.

"I've got so many medicines, books and films to get from London, Kiku. There's only so much that Walmart has." Alfred said cheerfully, taking a carefully folded note from the middle of his book and showing him an organized list of said items. He'd also included his and Kiku's substantial book list and tourist spots to go that Kiku had been passive-aggressively particular about. That had included different medicines, clothes, shoes and things Mrs. Honda wanted, and had showered the both of them with generous pocket money for the trip. It was why Kiku had packed both their things lightly, with the essentials safely under the airport's cut-off weight for baggage. The Japanese reminded mildly: "You forgot about Tom Hiddleston's The Night Manager."

"Oh damn!" A blue ballpen and jotted note later, Alfred sighed. "This is going to be such an awesome trip. I can feel my bones humming, shaking with the suspense."

"It could also be lack of sleep." Kiku interjected. "Copious and unmonitored intake of caffeine."

The blue of his best friend's eyes never ceased to startle him. To have the entirety of the sky, the depth of the oceans contained in such a gaze had enchanted Kiku the first few months of their friendship in 1st Grade. The sight of him still did.

"I was busy last night." Alfred muttered.

He came home late last Friday. Kiku had had to lie for him when Mrs. Honda had asked after her surrogate second son. Kiku glanced at him, noted the slight paling of the cheeks. "You know you can tell me anything."

For a moment Alfred's lips parted slightly, then he shook his head and smiled. "A guy asked me out. Took me by surprise, it did, but I said I couldn't now. He took it in stride."

"Oh." Kiku's brow furrowed. "Who was he? Where did this happen? Was he bothersome? You should have told kaa-san about it."

"No, he was..." Alfred struggled with his reply. "Fine. Really, he was. A regular at that place. The restaurant I worked part-time this year." His ears were burning. "For the trip, you know."

"Oh, Alfred." Kiku's gaze was fond, exasperated and disapproving all at once. "You know you don't have to.

"I know, I know. I did stop when your mom asked me to. But I had to save for it. You know me."

"A regular..." Kiku sat back and his mouth quirked slightly downward. "I've seen some of your regulars there. Which one was he?"

Because Alfred was a shit liar, he shrugged. "The really tall, pale Russian dude. Purple eyes, smiles like a well-fed shark."

Braginsky, Kiku's mind promptly supplied. Ivan Braginski was a law college student who had recently graduated first in his year and was now head of his father's business. The only reason he's known was because Yao Wang, his Chinese cousin finishing cardiology, was with Ivan in the same batch. The Japanese's eyes narrowed sharply. "Alfred, a college graduate asked you, a seventeen year old minor, on a date."

"Yeah?" He was being too nonchalant about it, and that belied his nervousness.

"You're smarter than that, Alfred. It's illegal to touch minors below 18."

"I'm turning 18 in a couple of months." Alfred pointed out pragmatically. "Besides, I told him no, didn't I?"

"Technically, you told him to wait. We'll have words later, but that's not the point." Kiku sucked in a breath, trying in vain to control his temper. "I'm telling kaa-san."

Alfred shot up from his seat and fixed Kiku with a glare. "You wouldn't." He said lowly. "Kiku, I promise nothing's coming of it."

Really, he indulged his brother too much sometimes. "You swear? You said 'it couldn't work out now.' Alfred, you didn't bluntly say no."

"Pokemon League Champion's honor." Fixing his purple glasses, Alfred locked gazes with him. "Seriously."

He sat back down and Kiku's hackles lowered. They sat in evident silence, book and phone tucked back in their respective bags.

"Yao didn't like him." The Asian remarked aloud. "He thought he smiled too much and was hiding something. His family's a bad crowd, into crime rings and other unscrupulous matters. Mom and Dad wouldn't like it."

Specifically, Yao also didn't like Ivan Braginsky because his father was head of the chief Russian mafia organization in Moscow and part of America's east coast hub. Yao had connections. But Kiku wasn't going to tell him that.

"Oh." There was evident relief and disbelief in Alfred's exhalation. "But your cousin barely likes anyone."

"He tolerates the world." Kiku sighed. Yao had preached his Asian superiority complex like it was gospel until the miserly hypocrite met Lilli Zwingli. The only good thing about his cousin in a relationship was that Yao would have to go through extraordinary pains to attempt to keep himself in the fringes of Vash Zwingli's good books.

Then again, people in love were idiots. "But he finds certain people particularly disdainful." He finished.

"I suppose I made the right decision. I mean, it's not like I outright rejected him harshly, I just told him that, er, with the minor age complication and school, it wouldn't work out."

Kiku nodded. "Good."

Several sparsely occupied rows of seats away from them, a TV screen showed the replay of a Marvel movie. He remembered how excited Alfred had been, how otou-san had chuckled at his two sons, how kaa-san had smiled gently at children's play. The cinema was cold and dark, and but he'd immensely enjoyed how elated Alfred had been at the edge of his seat, how his eyes glittered even in the darkness.

Several minutes later, Alfred confessed: "I don't know what to do with my life."

"Same." Kiku confirmed automatically.

The two of them paused, then laughed. Alfred was looking at Kiku fondly again. "I thought you told your parents you'd be a neuroscientist."

"And I thought you said you'd be an astrophysicist." He shot back.

Alfred shrugged. "Or I could be a struggling writer in Paris, like Ernest Hemingway."

"Except not during the 1920s. Sans your own Hadley Richardson."

A sigh met Kiku's ears. It sounded too heavy. Too wistful. "Sadly."

"Did you really want to date him?" Kiku suddenly asked. Alfred looked at him with surprise etched on his features. "Not really. He was just," he floundered for a bit. "just very handsome. And grown up. Older dates have that appeal, you know? And he sounded so nice. He could have bought me a free dinner."

He talked to me and I really liked him, was what Kiku understood.

Kiku Honda has always had a finely honed sensor for the emotional vacillations and mental perturbations of one Alfred F. Jones. Today his sensor alerted Kiku to the terrifying possibility that he might start to lose him.

He was of course highly aware of the fact that he had no right to dictate nor approve of any of his brother's (why does that word sting a little) potential suitors, but Kiku was always unfailingly assured the added advantage of having Alfred's ear. No matter what.

He swallowed, then carefully followed with another query, "Would you have wanted that?"

"God, I don't know." The blonde gave a breathless laugh. "I didn't make it through twelve years of the educational system suffering to be locked up for mere association." A pause. "But he was really hot, Kiku, I should have slipped him my number."

"But I swear I was good." He finished lamely at the sight of Kiku's frosty look.

On the PA, a lady's voice called their flight number. Kiku had barely registered it before Alfred stood up abruptly and hefted his bag on his shoulder. "C'mon Kiku, that's our ride!" His voice was slightly high pitched, begging to move on, to forget for now.

He sighed and stood up to follow the blonde to the desk to give their tickets prior to boarding. Really, Alfred and his energy. Alfred and his love. Sometimes he resented how that big heart had open borders for anyone to cross into. But that was also a part of what made Kiku cherish--

Something twisted unpleasantly in his gut, another unseen obstacle tightened in his chest. The sensations momentarily threw Kiku off kilter, but he clenched his empty fist until he felt the sting of nails digging into the skin of his palm. In a vain attempt to quell it, Kiku tried to smile at the lady with his ticket, but he was almost certain it came out as a grimace.


End file.
